Wirebound container end construction



Aug. 28, 1962 J. M CREA WIREBOUND CONTAINER END CONSTRUCTION Filed July 21, 1959 INVENTOR.

Joseph McCrea ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Office 3,051,344 WIREBOUND CONTAINER END CONSTRUCTIGN Joseph McCrea, Rockaway, N.J., assignor to Stapling Machines Co., Rockaway, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 21, 1959, Ser. No. 828,517 4 Claims. (Cl. 217-14) This invention relates to wirebound containers and particularly to a novel construction of the end members thereof.

The conventional wirebound containers in use heretofore have been formed from blanks having four sections or sides, each composed of side material or slats and reinforcing cleats secured thereto adjacent the lateral edges of the blank, with the several sections foldably secured together by binding wires extending longitudinally of the blank and secured to the sections by staples driven astride the binding wires, through the side material and into the cleats. The two ends of each binding wire are provided with loop fasteners which project from the ends of the blank, and when the blank is folded around to set up the container, these loops come into opposition with each other at the closing corner of the container and one of them, being somewhat narrower than the other, is inserted through the latter and bent down to secure the container closed.

The container ends are similarly formed of side material or slats with reinforcing battens or liners stapled thereto and are secured to the container blank by loop fasteners formed at the ends of binding wires stapled to the container ends, these loops being inserted through notches in the outside cleats of the front and rear sections of the container blank and bent around the outside binding wires.

The container ends are made separately from the rest of the container, but involve the same type of manufacturing operations. That is, the several parts of the container end are stapled to each other and to the binding wires in astapling machine from which they issue in a continuous succession joined together by the binding wires. They must be fed through a separate loop fastener machine wherein the binding wires are severed in the intervals between adjacent end members and the resulting wire ends are bent to form loop fasteners. The making of the container ends thus involves considerable utilization of the box-making machinery and substantial cost.

To save space and permit handling of the container blanks in multiple, they are usually shipped and stored knocked down or flat, with the two container ends foldably secured at one end to opposite sides of the front and rear side sections of the blank and lying flat against the inner faces of these sections. The job of thus partially attaching the container ends to the blanks involves appreciable amounts of labor and further costs.

To set up the container for packing, the free loops on the partially attached container ends must be bent at right angles to the outer faces of the ends, the container sections must be folded around and the loops inserted into the notches in the cleats and bent around the outside binding wires to secure the container in its folded condition. Because this operation takes appreciable time, it is common practice in packing plants to set up the containers in advance. This requires that space he provided for stacking the assembled containers, and results in substantial wastage of valuable plant space.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide a wirebound container having end members so constructed that they may be attached to the container blanks at the time they are stapled in a conventional wirebound stapling machine, thus eliminating any necessity for utilization of either a stapling machine 3,051,344 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 or a loop fastener machine in making the end members, as well as the separate operation of attaching them to the container blanks. Another object is the provision of such a container blank which is so constructed that the container may be set up from the blank readily and without the necessity of inserting and/ or securing any loop fasteners. A further object is that of providing such a container blank wherein the portions which form the container ends, although fully secured to the blank, may be folded down against the blank for stacking.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is :a foreshortened isometric view of a wirebound crate blank having end members embodying features of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary isometric view of one end of a crate formed from the blank shown in FIGURE 1, showing particularly the interlocking of two of the end members to close the end of the crate.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary and foreshortened isometric view of another wirebound crate blank having end members of an alternative construction.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of one end of a crate formed from the blank shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary and foreshortened isometric view of a wirebound crate blank incorporating end members of still another construction wherein the two end members attached to each of the front and b ack sec tions of the crate are formed from a single sheet of corrugated material.

The illustrative crate blank shown in FIGURE 1 consists of four sections or sides, namely top section 10, rear section 12, bottom section 14 and front section 16. Each of these sections consists of side material or slats 18 with reinforcing cleats 20 and 22 secured thereto along the lateral edges of the blank. The four sections are foldably secured together by binding wires 24 (see FIGURE 2) which are secured to the sections by staples 26 (FIG- URE 2) driven astride the binding wires 24, through the slats 18 and into the cleats 20 and 22. At opposite ends of the crate blank the end portions of the binding wires are formed into wider and narrower loop fasteners 28 and 30 respectively. When the crate blank is folded around to set up the crate, as shown in FIGURE 2, the narrower loop fasteners 30 on the front section 16 of the crate come into opposition with the wider fasteners 28 on the top section It) or lid of the crate and are inserted through the latter and bent down against the outer surface of the front section 16 to secure the crate closed.

Secured to the back section 12 and front section 16 of the crate blank are four similarly shaped end members 32, one end member 32 being secured at each end of each of these two sections of the crate blank. The end members 32 are secured to the crate blank at their outer ends only, the outer ends being interposed between the slats 1'8 and the cleats 22.

Each of the end members 32 is provided with a V-shaped notch 32a, the center of which is spaced from the inner face of the adjacent cleat 22 a distance approvimately equal to one-half the length of the top and bottom sections 10 and 14 of the crate blank (the term length referring to the dimension which extends lengthwise of the crate blank as a whole). The depth of the notches 32a is equal to or slightly greater than one-half of the length of the rear and front sections 12 and 16 of the crate blank (in other words, approximately one-half of the internal height of the resulting crate).

The end members 32 are formed of a stifliy flexible material such as corrugated pasteboard. When the container blank is folded around to set up the container, as shown in FIGURE 2, the end members 32 may be bent outwardly so that they lie adjacent the inner faces of cleats 20 and 22 at each end of the crate. When this is done, the two end members 32 on the front section 16 of the crate respectively overlap the two end members 32 on the back section 12. The two end members 3-2 at each end of the-crate thus close the end of the crate, and they are secured together by hooking each through the notch 32a of the other, as shown in FIGURE 2. When the top section or lid of the crate is closed, the end assembly formed by the two end members 32 at each end of the crate is supported by the inner faces of the cleats 20 and 22 around all four of its edges, lending considerable strength to the end assemblies. As will be understood, the end members 32 are incorporated integrally into the container blank as it is formed in the stapling machine. They thus add nothing to the time of producing the container blanks and very little to their cost.

As may be seen in FIGURE 1, since the end members 32 are somewhat wider than the slats 18 (measured lengthwise of the crate blank as a' whole) the end members 32 are provided with rectangular notches 32b in the edges of the end members which are their trailing edges as the crate blank moves through the stapling machine. The depth of these notches 32b is such that their bottom edges are aligned with the trailing edges of the slats 18 on the back and front sections Hand 16, and the transverse positions of the notches 3211 are such that they are aligned with the push fins projecting upwardly from the spacer blocks on the conveyor bands of the stapling machine, so that the push fins engage not only the end members 32 but also the slats 18 to push them together through the machine. in properly assembled relation until they are permanently secured together by the stapling units.

The four end members32 are identical, the two at one side of the crate blank being merely inverted relative to those at the other said. This, of course, reduces the investment in cutting dies and the number of different pieces which must be stocked.

The crate blank shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 is similar to that shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 except that, as best shown in FIGURE 3, the two end members 40 which are secured to the back section 12 of the crate blank are provided with transverse slots 40a,wvhile the two and members 42 on the front section 16 are provided with co-operating locking tabs 42a. When the crate blank is folded around to set up the crate, as shown in FIGURE 4, the tabs 42a may be inserted through the slots 40a by bending the flaps 42b inwardly, as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3. The tabs. 42a may be scored, as indicated at 420, to facilitate such folding of the flaps 42b. After the tabs 42a have thus been inserted through the slots 40a, the flaps 42b may again be bent outwardly, as shown in :FIGURE 4, to give the tabs 42a a T shape which prevents their being Withdrawn from the slots 40a.

As may be seen in FIGURE 3, the end members 40 are also provided with notches 40b, and the end members 42 are provided with notches 42d, for the purposes previously described. The two .end members 40 are identical, one being merely inverted with respect to the other, as are the two end members 42.

The crate blank illustrated in FIGURE 5 is also similar to that shown in FIGURES .1 and 2, except that the two end members attached to the back section 12 are formed from a single sheet of corrugated-material generally designated 50, as are the two end members secured to the front section 16. Each of these two sheets 50 is transversely scored along its center line, as indicated at 50a, to facilitate dividing the sheet into two end members 50b and 50c. When the sheets are thus divided to form the end members 50b and 50c, the resulting structure is substantially identical with v that of FIGURE 1. Of course, the structure shown in FIGURE 5 is feasible only in crate blanks wherein the inside width of the blank is greater than the length of the top and bottom sections 10 and 14 of the crate blank, so that when the crate blank is folded into crate form, in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2, the two end members on the back section '12 of the crate will respectively overlap those on the front section 16 of the crate to close the ends of the crate and permit their notches 50d to be interengaged in the manner illustrated at 32a in FIGURE 2.

From the foregoing description it will be appreciated that the aforementioned and other desirable objects of the invention have been achieved. However, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiments of the invention which are described herein and shown in the accompanying drawing are intended as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention rather than as restrictive of the scope thereof or of the coverage of this patent, which is defined only by .the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a wirebound container blank of the type having top, bottom, front and back sections each formed of side material with reinforcing cleats at the lateral edge-s of the container blank, the several sections being foldably secured together by binding Wires extending longitudinal- 1y of the container blank, an integral container end construction comprising two end forming sheets of flexible material, one secured to said front section and one secured to said back section, each of said end forming sheets extending the full width of said container blank and its ends being interposed between the side material and cleats at the lateral edges thereof, each of said sheets being divisi-ble along a line extending longitudinally of the container blank into two end members which are bendable against the inner faces of said cleats when the container blank is folded around into container form so that the two end members on the from section respectively overlap those on the back section to close the ends of the container, and said end members having cooperative engageable elements arranged to be interlocked with those of the overlapping member to secure said members together.

2. A container blank as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said sheets is scored along said line.

3. A container blank as claimed in claim 1 wherein said two end-f0rming sheets are identical and wherein each end-member-forming half of each of said sheets has at one edge a notch which is spaced from the inner face of the adjacent cleat a distance approximately equal to one-half of the width of said container, and each of said notches having a depth approximately equal to one-half the internal height of said container, whereby when the container is set up each of the end members at each end of said container may be hooked through the notch in the other end member at said end of the container to secure the two end members together.

4. A container blank as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the transverse edges of each of said endforming sheets projects beyond the adjacent transverse edge of the side material of said container blank, and wherein such projecting transverse edge of each of said end-forming sheets is notched near each end to such depth that the bot-tom edges of the notches are aligned with said adjacent transverse edge of the side material to permit said end-fanning sheet to be pushed through the box-making machine by the same elements which engage the transverse edges of the side material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,045,648 Walter Nov. 26, 1912 2,039,612 Stivers May 5, 1936 2,146,984 Powell Feb. 14, 1939 2,492,454 Anderson Dec. 27, 1949 

